Friends with Benefits
by orsinoslady
Summary: Rogan Oneshot: Completely AU. Unconventional meeting and relationship. I think the title is fairly self-explanatory.


**Disclaimer:** I don't know own anything with GG, especially not the two lines I borrowed from ASP.

 **A/N:** So, I've actually been working on this for several weeks. I've been trying to write it, but haven't been able to finish it for whatever reason. I finally was able to sit down to do just that. I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with it, but it is what it is. Please let me know what you think!

—

Rory braced her hands against the headboard to stop her head from hitting as she moaned low. As hard as she tried though, her arms were jelly and she was unable to stop the rhythmic thumping her head made. She honestly couldn't care less about it. She was more concerned with what Logan was doing. He had wrapped her legs around his waist and put his hands on the headboard to give him leverage as he tried his hardest to fuck her into the mattress.

Rory could feel herself tighten as she neared the edge and was quickly pushed over. Her back arched off the bed and she shrieked as her orgasm ripped through her. She vaguely heard Logan groan as his thrusts sped up and then he too joined her in oblivion. A few moments later, Rory came back to herself as she felt Logan pull out and she watched as he discarded the condom in the trashcan by the bed. She looked away as he flopped on the bed next to her, breathing heavily.

Neither of them said anything. They usually didn't, which was fine. It was part of their unspoken agreement. Every so often you would get one of them to open up about something or they'd have a lively debate about something else, but usually, it was just sex between them.

They met several months before at an industry party that they were each attending. Logan was there as a representative for HPG while Rory was there because she was an editor for the features department at her newspaper. They happened to be in the same group and got into a rousing argument about the benefits of moving into digital publishing in the newspaper industry. By the time they agreed to disagree, they were the only two people left in the group.

When they parted ways that night, each had been consumed with thoughts of the other, but pushed them from their minds. They hadn't wanted to act on it.

Rory shook her head and pushed those thoughts to the side. She glanced to her right and saw Logan had fallen asleep. She eased out of bed and grabbed his shirt before padding to the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water and looked out the little window that was over her sink in the kitchen. While she might not have the best apartment, it more than suited her needs and it had a pretty decent view. With the help of her grandparents and father, she was able to buy a small apartment in a nice area that didn't have a bad crime rate or horrible high-rises blocking the view. She could see over some of the buildings around her and could almost make out the shape of the park that was in the neighborhood. It might not seem like much to some, but to her it was home.

She was so caught up in her ruminating that she didn't hear Logan enter the kitchen, so she jumped when he slid his arms around her waist. "Abandoning me already, Ace?" he asked as he nuzzled her neck.

"No," she answered, "I just wanted some water."

Logan murmured something, but Rory didn't catch it. She was too busy concentrating on his hands which had started moving up her torso so they could cup her breasts. "Already?" she teasingly asked.

Logan chuckled. "If you have to ask, then you obviously don't remember well what I can be like."

Rory laughed and then gasped as Logan tweaked her nipples, causing them to become sharp points. While his left hand alternated between her breasts, his right made its way down to the apex of her legs. He used his right thigh to nudge her legs apart and then dipped his fingers between them. "Already wet? Or still wet?" he whispered in her ear.

"You'll never know," she whispered back.

Logan placed open mouth kisses on her neck as his fingers continued to prob her heat. He skirted her clit, but teased her opening. Rory was squirming, trying to get him to put pressure somewhere, anywhere, that would help. She knew that he knew that's why she was squirming and why he wasn't giving in.

Rory huffed in frustration when Logan withdrew his fingers. Logan just chuckled. He then pressed her down so that she was bent over the counter and lifted the shirt. Rory felt the slightly cool air on her butt before she felt Logan move closer and rub the tip of his cock over her entrance, teasing the two of them. Thankfully, she could feel the condom he rolled on at some point, so she didn't feel the need to stop his teasing to take care of that.

Rory tried to move so that he slipped in, but Logan wouldn't let her and just continued to tease until she thought she was going to kill him. At that point, Logan slowly inched his way in. Rory panted as she felt him fill her inch by inch. Once he was fully seated, Logan pulled Rory up so that she was standing and told her to put her legs together. She did as requested and they both groaned at the sensation. Logan more than fulfilled requirements in the lover category not only because of his skill, but also what he was working with. But, because her legs were together and he was taking her from behind, he felt much bigger and she swore she could feel every inch of his inside her.

Logan slowly pulled out a little before pushing back in. He set a steady rhythm that had Rory wanting to beg him to move faster or do more. Usually, he was a wham bam, thank you ma'am type of lover. Rory wasn't complaining about that because Logan was always generous and made sure she got hers before he got his. But, sometimes, he would opt for something like this that was slow and sensual and just as intense.

Even though Logan wasn't stimulating her as much, she could feel her orgasm approaching and she groaned as she teetered on the edge. She jumped when she felt Logan's fingers touch her clit, not realizing he had moved his hands. She moaned louder when he started to play with it, quickly pushing her over the edge. As she convulsed, she felt Logan speed up just slightly and then stiffen as he reached his own end.

They stood there for several moments catching their breath. Logan dropped a kiss on her neck before pulling out. Rory quickly stood up and grabbed her water glass, chugging the contents before filling it again. Rory slowly drank her water as she watched Logan leave the kitchen to return to her room. A few minutes later, he walked out dressed in everything but his shirt and jacket.

"Do you want your shirt?" Rory coyly asked.

Logan looked at her, but didn't say anything. Feeling daring, Rory grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over her head, throwing it at him once it was off. She briefly caught a glimpse of Logan's surprised look before the shirt hit him in the face. She giggled as he took it and put it on before shrugging into his jacket. Once that was done, he came into the kitchen and back Rory up against the counter.

"If I didn't have to leave right now so I could make it home to sleep enough for my early morning meeting, I would definitely be taking advantage of your naked state. As it is, I'll remember this fondly until I see you next time."

Before Rory could respond, Logan pressed a hard kiss on her lips, forcing them open to thrust his tongue in. Before she could fully respond, Logan pulled away, smirked at her, and made his way out of her door. She stared at the door for several moments after he left before making her way to it to lock it.

As she got ready for bed, Rory thought about Logan and the weird relationship they had. After that first meeting, they had been thrust together again at a conference several weeks later. It was at the conference that they first had sex together. One minute they were arguing quietly in a bar about another industry thing and the next they were inside Logan's suite as they tore the clothes off each other, not even making it to the bed for the first consummation. It wasn't until their fourth time that they finally made it to the bed's soft surface.

When the weekend ended, neither thought too much of it, having enjoyed the evening. The next weekend, they saw each other at a bar. This time, Rory invited him back to her place. When he was leaving, she handed him a business card and told him to look her up whenever he was feeling the need. And looked her up he had.

They had been having casual sex for about four months now. Rory was usually a girlfriend girl, but her endless string of relationships that led nowhere led her to want to try another course of action. That's why this thing with Logan was perfect. There were no expectations except for great sex. And they had definitely had some great sex, even in each other's offices.

Logan brought Rory dinner one evening when she had to cancel on him because of a layout crisis. Once everyone else had left for the evening, Logan laid Rory out on her desk and proceeded to eat her out before fucking her hard enough she had trouble walking immediately after.

She had surprised him at work on day and was in the process of giving him one of the best blow jobs he had ever experienced when someone walked in the office. Luckily, Rory was under the desk and unable to be seen and Logan was a master at the poker face. Of course, Rory knew she had tested him that day because while he was making polite chit chat with one of the higher ups of HPG, she had been trying her hardest to get him to crack. Once his conversation was done and he had hit the button to lock his door, Logan had dragged her off her knees, ripped her panties off, and bent her over his desk. That day had been some of the best sex she had yet.

While this type of relationship was uncharted territory for Rory, she had to admit she was enjoying it. She was having the best sex of her life and she didn't have to put in a lot of extra work to maintain an actual relationship. Of course, her mom didn't necessarily agree with the whole arrangement. She was glad that Rory was experiencing life, but Rory knew her mom was struggling to match up the idea of Rory having a fuck buddy to the Rory that was super studious and hard working. Because of that, the both had an unspoken agreement to not really mention the situation at all and everything remained fine.

As Rory drifted to sleep, she thought back to the evening and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

—

The following weekend found Rory back in Hartford for her grandparent's annual Christmas party. Even though she lived in New York, she wasn't able to get home as much as she wanted to see everyone. More often than not, they all came to the city to see her. Because of this, she strived to attend every holiday gathering her family had, whether she really wanted to or not, to try to make up for it.

The party was pretty much the same as always. Same society people with their fake smiles, sipping champagne. Rory had lost her mother soon after arriving and found herself in a conversation with an older woman she couldn't remember the name of. Just as she was about to get desperate and fake being sick, she caught a flash of blonde out of the corner of her eye. She turned slightly and saw the back of Logan's head across the room. Her brow furrowed. She wasn't sure what he was doing at her grandparent's Christmas party.

She quickly excused herself from the conversation before trying to make her way across the room. Before she could get there, her grandmother found her and whisked her off to introduce to people that she deemed appropriate.

Rory's cheeks were hurting by the time they approached an older blonde couple.

"Shira!" Emily called as they walked up.

"Emily, this party is fabulous as always. I need to get the number of your caterer."

Emily laughed. "Thank you, Shira. How are you and Mitchum this evening?"

"We're doing well," Shira replied. Her eyes then slid past her grandmother to land on Rory. "Emily, who is this darling girl behind you?"

"Oh, this is my granddaughter Rory," Emily stated as she pulled Rory forward. "She works at the New York Post as one of their feature editors."

"Oh, how lovely. Mitchum," Shira stated, getting Mitchum's attention, "this is Rory, Emily and Richard's granddaughter. Emily was just telling me how she's a feature editor at the New York Post."

Mitchum faced them and smiled, sticking his hand out for Rory to shake. "That's great to hear. You're what, 28? Impressive for someone your age."

Rory blushed, but before she could respond, she heard Shira say, "Logan! Come here!"

Rory looked to her right where Shira looking and saw Logan, her lover. Her eyes widened slightly as they met his. She quickly tried to school her features to indifference as he joined them.

"Logan," Shira continued, "this is Rory Gilmore. She's Richard and Emily's granddaughter. She's a feature editor at the New York Post."

"Well, that's fantastic. It's nice to meet you Miss Gilmore," Logan said, smirking as he grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on it.

Rory felt herself blushing as she met his eyes again. She glanced to her grandmother and wanted to roll her eyes at the look of glee on her face.

"Well, Shira, Mitchum, what do you say we leave these two young people to get acquainted?" Emily asked, ushering them away and leaving Logan and Rory alone.

Logan's lips twitched as he watched them walk away. "So, do you think they're planning our wedding yet?"

Rory smiled and nodded. "I'm sure they're already on colors and china patterns."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. After a few moments, "So, your grandparents are the Gilmore's? How have I not met you before?"

Rory shrugged. "I could say the same to you."

"That my grandparents are the Gilmore's?"

Rory rolled her eyes and didn't respond. Logan chuckled. "It's just weird that apparently our families know each other fairly well and yet we've never been introduced. It's just a weird coincidence."

"I'd agree. But, who knows. Maybe it was fate."

Before Logan could respond, Lorelei came up. "Rory, thank God! My mother is trying to drag me around and introduce me to eligible bachelors. I need help escaping."

"Mom, you're with Luke. She knows that."

"Yes, but you forget Emily Gilmore is nothing if not determined to make me forget that."

Rory sighed. "Ok."

She turned to Logan. "I"m sorry to ditch you."

"No worries, Ace," he smirked.

Rory smiled at him as she walked away with her mother. She successfully helped her mother go out the back door and walked her to her car. "Are you sure you don't want to leave with me kid? You can spend the weekend in Stars Hollow and we can relive our glory days."

"You know I'd love to. But I have to get back into the city tonight. I have an interview lined up for tomorrow and I'll be attending some gala tomorrow night with the other editors to help raise money for literacy or something like that."

"All right kid. Oh, and just because I'm sneaking out, don't think that I won't be asking you about the hottie you were chatting with in there."

"Mom!"

"See ya later," Lorelei said before disappearing around the side of the house.

Rory watched her walk away before making her way back inside where she promptly ran into her grandmother. "Rory, what are you doing back here?"

"Oh, I noticed that some of your appetizers didn't seem to be staggered properly so I was trying to check and see if I was right. They wouldn't talk to me though."

"It's always something! I swear, you can't hire decent staff anymore," Emily muttered as she went into the kitchen. Rory felt slightly bad about lying to her grandmother, but she figured it was easier to do that than try to lie about her mom leaving. Her grandmother would realize it soon enough.

Rory made her way back into the main party area and scanned it. She didn't really want to admit it to herself, but she was looking for Logan. When she found him, she saw that he was talking to several very nice looking women that she happened to know were single. She sighed taking the scene in. She had no reason to be jealous because they most definitely were not a thing. They were just fuck buddies that had the misfortune of being at a society party together by chance.

She turned and slipped out on to the patio. She was glad that it was warm out because if it had been winter, she definitely would have frozen. She made her way over towards the pool house and dropped into a lounger beside the pool She had always wondered about the pool at her grandparent's house. As far as she knew, it had never been used.

Rory turned slightly when she heard a noise behind her and saw that Logan had joined her on the patio. "Out of all the gin joints…" Logan started.

Rory chuckled. "I know. It's a bit wild. I'm honestly a little surprised we haven't met each other at one of these things before now."

Logan shrugged. "Yeah, but I do tend to avoid parties like this. I happened to be in the area and my parents wouldn't leave me alone about attending. I decided I'd give in, stay an hour, and then sneak out. Of course, that was before I realized exactly who would be here."

Rory cocked an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Logan continued, "I mean, if I'd known that I'd see my very best _friend_ here then I would have made sure to arrive early to fully acquaint myself with her."

"Don't be crass, Logan."

Logan laughed. "I wasn't being crass. Just stating fact."

As he had been talking to her he had slowly been moving closer to her until he was standing close enough to her that she could feel his breath on her neck. Rory shivered at the sensation. "Logan…" she said warningly.

"What?" he asked.

"Whatever you're thinking, we can't do," she told him. "We're at my grandparent's house for a party. One of them will come looking for me."

"I can hide us well and be quiet if you can," he whispered in her ear.

Rory could feel herself softening and giving in when another sound crept in. The sound of a door opening and closing accompanied by giggles. Rory bit her lip to avoid bursting into laughter. "It would seem we aren't the only ones that had this idea, Logan."

Logan groaned softly and Rory felt his forehead hit her shoulder in defeat. "You owe me, Ace," he told her as he stepped back.

"I think I can live with that," she smiled.

They waited a few minutes before checking that the other couple wouldn't see or hear them as they returned to the house. Thankfully, the two of them also didn't have to hear whatever the other couple was getting up to because Rory wasn't sure she could live with the mental scarring that would come from seeing or hearing anything.

Unfortunately for both of them, upon returning to the party, they were each swept away by their families and neither caught sight of the other again before leaving. As Rory drove back to the city, she found herself disappointed that she hadn't seen Logan again and wasn't sure when she would again.

Sighing, she wondered if this whole benefits relationship was finally starting to get to her.

—

It was two weeks later that Rory saw Logan again and it wasn't by choice either. Rory happened to be out with some work friends for a drink on Friday night and she glimpsed Logan from across the bar they were in. Any joy she might have felt at seeing him quickly dimmed when she saw the leggy blonde with him. Even though she knew they could each see other people, she never really thought about the fact that they could. She knew she didn't have enough time to devote to more than one person and considering how much they saw each other, she assumed Logan was the same. But this sighting proved how misguided that was.

After seeing him, Rory tried to ignore the hollow feeling in her gut because she didn't want to think about what it meant. So, she threw herself back into the conversation and was genuinely surprised when she felt a presence behind her and the conversation around her ceased.

Rory glanced over her shoulder and her eyes widened to see not only Logan there, but his two best friends Colin and Finn. Rory hadn't been around them very much, but she had met them on a few occasions where she and Logan met up at the end of a night out.

"Hey, Ace," Logan greeted her, pecking her on the cheek. "Who are your friends?"

In a daze, Rory introduced her friends and room was made at the table. As the three men sat down, Rory tried to figure out what had happened to the girl from before. Could she have gotten it wrong? Was the girl just hitting on Logan and what she saw was that? Or did he ditch her when he saw Rory across the bar?

Rory could tell she was driving herself crazy with wondering and needed a few moments to herself to get her thoughts in order. She quickly excused herself and made her way to the bathroom. Thankfully, there was no line to get in since it was still relatively early in the evening and there was no one else in there with her.

She stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself for a few moments before turning the water on and cupping her hands under the running water. She leaned down and brought her hands to her face, cooling herself off. When she stood back up, she was startled to see Logan standing behind her. She hadn't heard him come in because of the water.

She quickly turned the water off and grabbed some paper towels to blot her face dry. While she did this, the two of them stared at each other in the mirror. Once she had balled the towels up and thrown them away, Logan came up behind and pushed her into the sink.

"I think you still owe me, Ace," he whispered lasciviously in her ear.

Before she could respond, he stepped back and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the handicap stall. He pushed her in before following and locking the stall behind them. He quickly covered her mouth and placed Rory on the rail that was bolted into the wall. When he pulled back, Rory quickly asked, "What are you doing?"

"I told you earlier. You still owe me."

Rory looked at him in shock. "Here? Now? But someone could walk in!"

Logan smirked at her. "I know. That's part of the fun."

Logan quickly covered her mouth with his own again. Against her better judgment, Rory felt herself giving in and she relaxed into Logan's kiss.

They spent the next few minutes just kissing, first just light nips and then more insistent deep kisses. Eventually Rory decided she couldn't wait and trailed her hands down Logan's torso to his pants. She felt a belt and moved her hands to the front to unbuckle it.

Logan groaned as one of her hands brushed the front of his pants and the prominent erection there. It also spurred him into action. Logan reached under Rory's skirt and ripped her panties off of her as Rory made quick work of his button and zipper before pulling him out the hold in his boxers. She gave him a few quick strokes before placing him at her entrance.

Logan slammed into her, causing Rory to gasp. Logan covered her mouth with his as he pulled back and slammed back in. Rory groaned low in her throat at the feelings Logan was evoking in her body. She tore herself away from his lips to gulp in air and froze when she heard the bathroom door open.

Logan and Rory both froze, trying to still their breathing. It sounded like a group of drunk girls had come in from the giggling that was happening. Rory was so focused on that group outside that she wasn't paying attention to what Logan was doing. So she was shocked when she felt him start to move again, much slower, and he started to play with her clit.

Rory had to bit her lip to keep herself from moaning at the sensation. One half of her was mortified and worried about the group hearing and discovering their activities and the other was so incredibly turned on that she didn't even care if they were discovered. She just didn't want Logan to stop what he was doing.

After a few agonizing minutes, the group left and Rory breathed a sigh of relief that quickly turned into a moan as Logan finally let himself pound into her again. Because of the earlier stimulation, the prospect of getting caught, and Logan's assault, Rory could tell that she was very close to the edge. Apparently Logan could tell as well as he seemed to double his efforts to make her come.

A few more seconds and Rory was soaring and she would swear that she saw stars behind her eyelids she came so hard. She was vaguely aware of Logan coming with a grunt before he relaxed against her.

They stayed like that for several moments, each trying to catch their breath. Rory felt Logan stand and him pull out of her. She whimpered slightly at the loss of his warmth, but then grimaced at the feel of his cum starting to dribble out. They pretty much used a condom every time, but every so often they would get too caught up to use one. Thankfully, it didn't happen often and it was something they discussed after the first time. They got tested regularly and Rory was on the pill, so they weren't overly worried. They were still careful.

"Um…Logan?" Rory asked hesitantly as she watched him tuck himself back in and set his clothes to rights.

Logan looked up at her and she saw a look on his face that she couldn't quite place. She filed the look away for later dissection and asked, "Do you mind? I need to clean up a bit before heading back out."

Logan's eyes widened in realization and looked down at her sex. Rory fought her bodies natural reaction to close itself and cover everything. But, she was still sitting on the railing and she didn't want to move until she was ready to sit on the toilet.

"Sure, no problem. See you out there?" he asked.

She nodded and watched as he unlocked the stall door. She listened as he paused at the door, assuming he was cracking it to see if anyone would see him walk out. Then she heard the door open and close. Rory breathed out a sigh of relief. She could just reach the lock on the door, so she quickly flicked it to the locked position and slid off the rail and to the toilet.

As she took care of cleaning herself up as best she could, she thought back over the events of the evening. She first thought about her feelings when she saw Logan across the bar earlier with the blonde. They're arrangement was an open one. Neither of them put pressure on the other for a commitment and they went to each other to relieve some stress. Simple as that. But, if it was really that simple, then why did her stomach twist at the sight of them?

She thought then about the fact that she had just had sex in the bathroom at a bar, something she never thought she would ever do. She could just imagine the conversation with her mother about this. She could try to hide it from her, but Lorelai was the master at sniffing out her dirty deeds. Rory knew she would need to fess up before her mom realized Rory was hiding a juicy secret.

The final thing she thought about was the look Logan gave her before walking out. She didn't want to try to fully think it out or identify what she thought the emotion was because it confused her. The look almost made it look like Logan was in love with her and that he didn't want to leave her for any short amount of time. But, that would be ridiculous. When they first started this arrangement, Logan had been very upfront about the fact that he didn't do relationships. He was just a love 'em and leave 'em type person unless he entered into long term agreements. A long term agreement like what they had.

Rory shook her head and finished cleaning up. She knew if she was in there any longer, people would get even more suspicious. She quickly finished and flushed. As she pulled her skirt down, she realized she didn't have her underwear on and started looking around for it. She found it in tatters on the floor and sighed. She was thankful it wasn't an expensive pair, but she definitely didn't want to walk out there with no panties. But she had no other options.

She walked out of the stall, chucking the panties in the trash before covering them with some wadded paper towels. While no one would know they were hers, it didn't mean she wanted people gawking at her underwear either. Before opening the door, she paused and took a deep breath.

She made her way across the bar to their table quickly and slid back into her seat.

"I ordered you a new martini," Logan whispered to her once she was settled.

"Thanks," she murmured, taking a hearty gulp of it to calm her nerves. She knew there was no way anyone could tell she wasn't wearing underwear, but she felt like they could. So she was not only uncomfortable, but also rather jittery.

She finished her drink quickly and begged off the group, citing a long day and a longer one the next. She paid her tab and made her way outside quickly, taking a deep breath before hailing a cab. As she waited for it to pull to a stop, she realized Logan was standing next to her.

She glanced at him. "I thought you might want some company," he explained at her look.

"Ah," she murmured, but didn't say anything else.

When the cab stopped, Logan opened the door for Rory. But, before he could follow her into the backseat, she looked at him. "I wasn't lying earlier Logan. I have had a long day and I have a long one planned tomorrow."

They looked at each other for several moments, neither saying anything. Logan eventually nodded, leaned down to kiss her softly and then shut the door. Rory watched him as the cab pulled away, wanting to remember every facet of his face because she felt that it was finally time for them to end things.

She finally realized why her gut twisted at his being with another woman, even if he wasn't. Even though they were casual, not even dating really, Rory was in love with Logan.

—

It had been difficult, but Rory had been able to avoid Logan for almost a month. She purposefully changed up her schedule and didn't go to her usual haunts. She didn't take his calls and she never answered the door if he showed up. Rory felt like she was being torn up inside, but she also wasn't willing to have her heart broken by Logan. And she knew she would.

Slowly, his calls stopped. His visits stopped. She stopped being worried she'd run into him.

The one month became two. Then three. Then, before she knew it, it had been six months. And she didn't feel any better about how she ended things with Logan and she realized that she still definitely had feelings for him. She would sometimes see his picture or his name on page six of the _Times_ and her heart would beat faster and she'd feel butterflies.

She felt like one of the love sick girls that she and her mother would work so hard to mock. Which is probably why she had only mentioned to her mother that she and Logan weren't seeing each other anymore, but not the specifics.

Rory tried not to think about all that though as she got ready for a night out. Her friends had finally convinced her to come back out with them. They had been trying, without success, for the last six months. But, she kept refusing, worried she would see him or that she wouldn't. She wasn't sure which.

But, she felt that six months was a good amount of time for him to have moved her and for her to attempt to move on herself. She had just finished putting the finishing touches on her make up when she heard a knock on her door. She quickly made her way over and opened it, seeing Kate on the other side.

"Hey, just give me a few seconds. Need to slip my shoes on and grab my clutch."

Kate nodded and just watched while Rory finished getting ready. To be honest, Rory wasn't too certain why she was friends with Kate. They didn't have a whole lot in common and they didn't spend much time together outside of work either. If she really had to try and put her finger on why they were friends, it would be because they were both lonely and had few other people.

Finished, Rory closed the door behind them, locking it before she and Kate made their way into the night. They complimented each other on their outfits and made small talk until they reached the bar where everyone was meeting them.

Unlike last time, this place seemed more like a hole in the wall joint than someplace immensely popular. It was in the basement, for one, and it didn't have a long line out the front for the other. Even still, it was rather packed by the time Rory and Kate found their friends at a table near the pool tables. Rory slid onto a stool and flagged down a waitress, ordering a rum and coke.

While she waited for the waitress to bring her order back, she scanned the bar slowly. Her eyes widened when she recognized three men across the bar. One of them happened to be Logan. Rory forced herself to stay seated. If she got up and bolted she was worried Logan would notice and follow her. That wouldn't help. Instead, Rory tried to think of how to leave, how to make sure he didn't notice her, or even how to convince everyone to go somewhere else for the evening.

The waitress brought her drink back and Rory quickly asked her to go on and bring another as she knocked the one she had been given back, grimacing slightly as the rum burned her throat. She noticed her table companions raise their eyebrows at her actions. Rory was definitely more of a sipper than a shooter, so they knew something was obviously bothering her.

"Everything okay, Rory?" Kate ventured.

Rory thought briefly about lying, but decided she was tired of it. No one knew about she and Logan in the first place, so she hadn't told any of them about breaking things off with him. But, she realized that she wanted to share with them. So, that's what she did.

"Do you see the blonde over by the bar? Kinda towards the middle with the two brunettes?"

She gave each of the women a chance to glance towards the bar to see Logan with Colin and Finn before continuing. "When I was really depressed a few months ago, it was because he and I broke up. I didn't tell anyone because we weren't _technically_ dating, but it was still hard. I realized I was in love with him."

"Girl, if I was with him, I don't know that I could let him go," Tanya, another staff writer, said. "I mean, look at that ass!"

The girls all laughed and commiserated with Rory for a few minutes before they all agreed that their objective that night was to help Rory find someone else to move on with. Rory wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea, but she figured it was easier to go along with it and then ditch whoever it was. She knew the girls meant well, but that didn't mean she thought she was ready to move on completely.

The night flew by with a mixture of drinks, laughter, and men. The girls all tried to get her dance with a man, talk with one, or even go home with one. But she found a flaw in each one. By the time one o'clock rolled around, they had been through any of the men they deemed worthy and decided to call it a night.

They quickly settled their tabs and gathered their things. As they were leaving, Rory wasn't look where she was going and bumped into someone. She muttered a quick "sorry" but continued on her way, listening to a story Tanya was telling.

She came to a halt though when she heard her name. "Rory?"

Rory was just thankful that it hadn't been Logan she bumped into and cursed herself for not paying more attention. She hadn't seen any of Logan and his friends since she initially saw them, so she assumed they had moved on.

She turned around. "Colin, hey."

They looked at each other for several moments. "Hey Rory," Tanya started, "want to introduce me to your friend?"

"Colin, this is Tanya. Tanya, Colin."

"Pleasure to meet you," Tanya purred. "Rory always has the hottest friends it seems."

Colin's eyebrows rose and she saw him glance towards her, but she refused to meet his eyes.

Before anyone else could say anything, they were interrupted. "Oy! Mate! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Rory wished at that moment for the ground to open up and swallow her. The only way it could get worse would be if Logan joined them and she wouldn't be surprised if he did.

"I've been right here, Finn."

"I see that now, Colin. But I didn't know that a few moments ago, now did I?"

At that point, Finn realized there was a group of women standing there. "You've been hogging the women again, haven't you Colin?" Finn asked indignantly.

The girls, except for Rory, all tittered. Her lack of giggling drew Finn's eyes to her. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Nope, never seen you before in my life," Rory quickly answered. "Guys, ready to leave?"

Rory really didn't want to plead with them to leave, but she also didn't want to linger. She had caught a glimpse of Logan's head through the crowd and knew it was only a matter of time until he joined their merry group.

"Aw, love. Don't run off now. We were just getting acquainted and Finny so loves making friends."

The girls tittered again. Rory sighed in resignation, realizing that the girls had all moved closer to Colin and Finn. She started to plot her escape out of this situation when she froze at the sound of Logan's voice.

"I see you two have found the prettiest women in the room."

Rory was very glad she was facing away from him and on the outskirts of the group. Maybe he wouldn't realize she was part of the group and she could just slip away. She glanced out of the side of her eye and through her hair to the group. She noticed that Kate kept glancing at her in concern, but everyone else was enthralled by Logan and his friends. Logan was being introduced to the group and Rory realized that if she wanted to leave, this was her chance.

Unfortunately, Tanya happened to notice her trying to escape. "Rory, where do you think you're going?"

Rory closed her eyes in defeat before turning around and trying to smile. "I was just….heading to the bathroom."

Tanya raised a brow. "I thought the bathroom was the other way."

"I never said it was the bathroom in this establishment."

Rory was trying very hard to not look at Logan, even though she could feel his gaze on her. Tanya looked at Logan. "This is Rory Gilmore. I actually think the two of you are already acquainted."

Rory felt her face burn in mortification. She couldn't believe that Tanya would say something like that. Now she was worried that Logan was going to think she was blabbing all about their arrangement and she was already embarrassed enough as it was.

"We are," was Logan's terse reply.

Rory continued to stand there awkwardly, not sure what to say. Finally she said, "Listen guys, I'm just going to go. It's awkward and I'm tired. So I'll see you all on Monday."

With that, she turned and all but sprinted out of the bar. Once outside, she leaned against the wall, trying to calm her breathing and her heart. While it hadn't been ideal, she had gotten through her first meeting with Logan post-breakup in one piece.

"Rory."

Rory jumped at the sound of his voice. She looked at Logan, but didn't say anything. They stood there in silence, neither saying anything. Rory wondered if it was because he was at a loss of words like her.

Finally, Logan sighed. "Rory, why'd you stop talking to me?"

She was silent for a moment before stating, "I don't know, Logan. I just did."

"That's bullshit, Rory!"

Rory flinched at Logan's outburst. He continued much calmer, "That's bullshit and you know it Rory. I want to know why you stopped talking to me, seeing me, everything that had to deal with me."

Rory took a shuddering breath. "I just…I couldn't continue as we were Logan."

"Did you meet someone else?"

"What? No!"

"Are you suddenly repulsed by me?"

"No, of course not."

Logan sighed in exasperation. "Then I don't understand why you would suddenly and without explanation end things with me!"

"Because I love you, you idiot!"

Rory's eyes widened at her admission and Logan gaped at her. They stared at each other in silence for several moments. Rory finally realized that Logan most likely wouldn't be saying anything and pushed herself off the wall and past Logan, climbing into a just emptied cab. Unlike last time, she didn't look back and see what Logan was doing. She didn't want anything to do with him.

She was able to hold her tears at bay for the short cab ride to her place, but once she was inside, she collapsed and sobbed. She allowed herself a few minutes to get it all out before she forced herself to pull herself together. She was still taking shuddering breaths, but she was able to pick herself up off the floor and walk into her bedroom.

As she was getting her pajamas out and debating a soak in her tub, there was a pounding at her door. Rory froze, not sure who would be at her door at this hour.

"Rory, open up! Come on! Don't leave me out here all night, because I'll still be here in the morning!"

Rory gasped at the realization that it was Logan. She made her way over and opened the door to look at him.

"What are you doing here?"

Logan gaped at her. "What am I doing…what am I doing here? You drop a bomb like that on me and just bolt. You didn't even give me a chance to respond."

"I did give you a chance to respond. You didn't!"

Logan scoffed. "Yes, a minute was plenty of time for me to process what you said."

"Newsflash, Logan, if you have to think about it, then obviously you don't feel it."

Rory went to close the door, but Logan blocked it with his body. "Would you just listen to me?!"

"Why should I? It's obvious you don't feel the same."

"How is it obvious Rory? The many phone calls I made after you left? The visits? The gifts? What about all of those things tells you that I don't feel the same?"

Rory didn't know how to respond. She thought all those things meant he just wanted to continue fucking her, not that he loved her. When he realized Rory wouldn't be saying anything else for a moment, Logan continued. "I don't do things like that for just anyone. I realized a few months into our arrangement that I wanted more, but I didn't think you would be open to it. So I didn't say anything. But every day, every damn day, I could feel myself falling more in love with you. It killed me when you cut me out of your life and wouldn't talk to me. I've been miserable for months and tonight was the first night I've been out since."

After a few moments of silence, Rory whispered, "I've been miserable too."

Logan smiled and moved closer. "What do you say we put that behind us and really give us a shot?"

Rory bit her lip thinking about it. "Come on, Rory. You just told me you love me. I just told you I love you, which I never say to anyone except Honor. What's holding you back?"

In lieu of answering, Rory closed the gap between their bodies and kissed Logan for all she was worth. When they pulled back, Logan smirked at Rory. "So, what do you say?"

"You jump, I jump Jack," she murmured as she pulled Logan close for another kiss.


End file.
